How Much Does A Soundproof Door Cost? You Might be Surprised!

One of the biggest problems homeowners face is noise. Suppose you are not bothered by the conversation in the other room while trying to sleep. In that case, the noise from household appliances such as fryers, washers, and refrigerators might get you irritated at dawn.

Even worse, noise migrating from traffic, mowers, leaf blowers, and lousy neighbors to your home might affect your sleep quality or peace in your space. Hence, it’s only reasonable to look for ways to dampen the noise.

However, one of the most overlooked yet simple methods is purchasing a soundproof door. So now, we are left with how much a soundproof door costs.

Here’s a detailed guide on how much a soundproof door costs and a couple of tips and tricks to improve your existing doors’ sound-blocking capabilities for people on a low budget.

Types & Prices of Soundproof Door

All doors are not created equal. They are usually made of vinyl, aluminum, fiberglass, steel, or wood, which means each type, based on its construction, will have different noise-dampening abilities.

With this in mind, let’s check out the common types of soundproof doors and their respective prices.

Solid-Core Wooden Doors

Wooden doors are available in two options – solid or hollow inside. The former is denser, which allows it to provide better sound-block performance. So, if you are looking to purchase a wooden door with sound-blocking abilities, you are better off with a thicker solid-core wooden door.

Solid-core interior doors come with wood veneer layers sandwiching a fiberboard. This sturdy construction guarantees a reliable soundproof property to block out noise.

Also, solid-core doors are cheaper than other soundproof doors, except for hollow-core wooden doors. So this option offers a striking balance between price and quality.
Now, how much does a solid-core wooden door cost? The price ranges from 100 to 200

USD. But if you want some custom-designed or high-grade solid-core wooden door, you should be willing to shell up to 400 USD. Keep in mind that this does not include the installation cost, which might be around 150 to 250 USD.

Glass Doors

If you prefer a glass door, then it’s best to opt for ones with double or triple-pane laminated glass. The layers are filled with air to reduce the amount of air passing through the glass door.

Sliding glass doors with soundproof properties can cost anywhere between 1,200 to 4,000 USD, excluding the installation fees. However, the sound-blocking glass doors are more expensive than the double-pane glass sliding doors, which cost about 450 to 2,100 USD more.

Another benefit of soundproof glass doors is they offer excellent thermal insulation, which helps cut costs on your energy bill.

Also Read: How to Soundproof a Sliding Glass Door

How to Choose the Best Soundproof Door using NRC and STC Ratings

Now that you know how much a soundproof door costs, let’s dive into what to look out for when trying to purchase a door with sound-blocking characteristics for a quieter home.

When it comes to sound-blocking doors, there are two ratings you want to pay attention to – NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) and STC (Sound Transmission Class).

To simplify, the STC is a measure of a soundproofing material’s ability to minimize sound transmission. Therefore, a higher STC value would mean the material — in this case, a door — can dampen more sound and vice versa.

For instance, if a door has a 50 STC rating, only normal or low sounds won’t be heard. However, loud sounds can be heard. But for a 25 STC-rated door, even low or soft speech will be heard clearly through the door.

On the other hand, the NRC rating measures the amount of sound absorbed by an acoustic product. It’s rated from 0 to 1. Similarly, a higher NRC rating translates to high sound absorption capability, while any rating closer to 0 means poor results.

Do Soundproof Doors Work?

The short answer is yes. They are effective at blocking out noise and ensuring a quiet atmosphere. However, opting for a soundproof door requires the right kind of door seal. It’s just as important as soundproofing the windows and other openings in the room for the best results.

With gaps in the door frames, the effectiveness of the soundproof door drops nearly 50%, depending on the size of the opening. Therefore, it’s necessary to block out holes and soundproof other aspects of your room to dampen the noise to your preference.

How to Soundproof Your Existing Door

While door replacement might be the best option, for people not looking to avoid the cost of purchasing and installing a new soundproof door, here are a couple of tips and tricks to block more sound:

Weatherstrip your door

Usually, gaps around the doors offer passage to sound, which might be why you can hear everything go on around your house. Hence, you can opt for a door sweep or use an adhesive seal strip to block the gaps, cracks, or holes. Even better, it will help keep drafts, bugs, and dust out.

Hang Curtains

Curtains can help absorb the sound migrating into your room through the door. When it comes to soundproofing, mass is a critical factor. Therefore, you want to hang heavier curtains on the door instead of flimsy fabric.

Acoustic panels

Another great idea is installing acoustic panels on the door, especially if you own a hollow-core wooden door. While sealing the gaps in the door frame will dampen the sound, it might not be good enough. Hence, you want to install sound-absorbing panels on the doors.

They are easy to install and cut into any desired shape to add interesting details to your control rooms, homes, offices, and recording studios.

So, How Much Does a Soundproof Door Cost?

By now, you should have figured out that achieving quiet in your home requires soundproofing. The best way to get started is to ensure your doors block out the noise, either by replacing or adding a couple of sound-block materials to the door.

Replacing your home doors is not the cheapest option but definitely worth it in the long run. Keep in mind that there are alternatives to achieving this quiet and peaceful space, including adding acoustic panels or curtains on the door for increased sound absorption capabilities.